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'He's earned their respect': Australian-born Irish winger nominated for award after breakout season

15 Nov 2022

Ireland's Mack Hansen celebrates his try (Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Australian-born Irish winger Mack Hansen’s brilliant arrival on the Test scene has been acknowledged by World Rugby while a pair of teammates could deny Charlotte Caslick a third sevens player of the year title.

Australia has five players in the mix for the men’s and women’s top individual honour after the sides both won the World Series earlier this year.

Wallaroo Emily Chancellor and Wallabies centre Lalakai Foketi were shortlisted for women’s and men’s try of the year respectively in an otherwise barren showing for the 15-a-side teams.

There is one Australian in lights though, with former Brumbies talent Hansen nominated for breakthrough player of the year after the back’s scintillating Test entrance for Ireland.

Signed by former Australia men’s sevens coach Andy Friend at Connacht in 2021, Hansen was man of the match on his Test debut and is likely to line up against his country of birth in Dublin this weekend.

“I knew he’d love Ireland and the Irish would love him … and he’s earned their respect,” former Brumbies coach and current Wallabies assistant Dan McKellar said.

“(It was) sad to see him go … but he wanted a new life experience. If we’d asked him if he was going to play for Ireland six-to-12 months into that, he would have laughed.

“(I’m) happy for him, but hopefully we keep him quiet on Saturday.”

Caslick is in line to take home the women’s sevens top gong in consecutive years – she also won the award in 2016 – but teammates Maddison Levi and Faith Nathan stand in her way.

The emerging pair were central to the side’s 2022 triple crown, prolific try-scorer Levi in particular a standout as they added Commonwealth Games gold and a World Cup to their series triumph.

Fresh off a Hong Kong Sevens win on the weekend, men’s sevens captain Nick Malouf and livewire teammate Corey Toole have also been shortlisted for the top prize after taking Australia to their first World Series title in August.

WORLD RUGBY AWARD NOMINATIONS

* Men’s player of the year: Lukhanyo Am (RSA), Antoine Dupont (FRA), Johnny Sexton (IRL), Josh van der Flier (IRL)

* Coach of the year: Andy Farrell (IRL men), Fabien Galthie (FRA men), Simon Middleton (ENG women), Wayne Smith (NZ women)

* Women’s breakthrough player of the year: Maud Muir (ENG), Vitalina Naikore (FIJ), Maiakawanakaulani Roos (NZL), Ruby Tui (NZL)

* Men’s breakthrough player of the year: Henry Arundell (ENG), Ange Capuozzo (ITA), Mack Hansen (IRL), Dan Sheehan (IRL)

* Women’s try of the year: Sylvia Brunt (NZL), Emily Chancellor (AUS), Abby Dow (ENG), Linda Djougang (IRL), Nomawethu Mabenge (RSA)

Men’s try of the year: Rodrigo Fernandez (CHL), Lalakai Foketi (AUS), Chris Harris (SCO), Edoardo Padovani (ITA), Louis Rees-Zammit (WAL)

Women’s sevens player of the year: Charlotte Caslick (AUS), Maddison Levi (AUS), Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (IRL), Faith Nathan (AUS)

Men’s sevens player of the year: Terry Kennedy (IRL), Nick Malouf (AUS), Kaminieli Rasaku (FIJ), Corey Toole (AUS).

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Do you feel that not being in the top 6 wont be a problem for teams or do you believe that Australia will easily make it? Its not even clear what your position is. The whole article is about the intimidating schedule facing Schmidt and Australia including reaching the top 6 before Jan 1, 2026. You may not feel that is a problem for Australia but Schmidt sees it as a challenge and I agree with him. I also pointed out a year ago that this should and would be a focus for teams potentially fighting for a top 6.

You don’t understand re the RWC draw.

As it was taken after the RWC in 2019, Scotland were ranked 9th and were in the 3rd group of seedings. The idea of rankings being used is to provide even groups and a meritocratic draw. When the rankings are taken 4 years before this is not possible teams get better or worse over time. It works when you take the rankings snapshot as close to the tournament as possible. Thus the farcical draw we all witnessed and that World Rugby apologized for. Even teh rankings three years before teh tournament showed Scotland in the top 8 and given that they were ranked 5th when the tournament came around it is reasonable to assume that they make a QF. They would not have been de facto eliminated from their pool by the draw (in a pool with then World #1 Ireland and World Champions SA). Likewise England (and Wales) would not have got the facile draw they did.

This is what the rankings tell us. Thus we can say that much or all of the 6.5 ranking point swing from Scotland to (fellow top 6 hopeful) England would not have happenned but for the joke draw.

If Australia play Argentina first and gain ranking points they may lose these points versus SA. Although Australia are too far behind NOW to lose ranking points to SA, this may not be the case later in the year especially if Australia were scheduled to play SA later in the RC.

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